A Night to Forget

I spent most of the afternoon staring at my screen, trying to work out whether I should write about Friday night, one of the stranger and more disturbing nights of my life.
It has left me with a bad taste in my mouth and with a craving for pure things, good things, detoxifying things, and not just because the night involved a rich Chinese meal at the Flower Drum and some single malt whisky at the Supper Club. (Flower Drum=a gradually dimming star of Melbourne’s restaurant firmament that was once considered the best Chinese restaurant in the southern hemisphere; the Supper Club=very-late-night, leather-lounged, sybaritic city institution of cigars, fine French wine and misbehaviour. ... ahem, some of which, in the past, has been my own.)
My conclusion is that I can’t tell this story: I want it to be a distant memory as soon as possible; it involves appalling, unbelievable ignorance and racism; I can’t tell it without seriously questioning an old friend’s judgment; it casts a very poor light on a certain breed of Australian men; and it would require using vile language.
I’m also troubled by my own handling of the situation.
My intention in even mentioning this is not to tease, simply to purge.
I’ve detoxified today with a long ride on my new pushbike (now I hadn't told you about that, had I!?); a stop-off at Dench bakery for grain bread; a bowl of the most magnificent strawberries; more oolong tea than you can poke a stick at; and a plate of steamed vegetables drizzled with a vinaigrette and served with toasted almonds. 
I may be starting to feel better.
I may also be reconsidering staying out past midnight in the future.

Cleansing Vegetables with Vinaigrette and Almonds
(based on a Jill Dupleix dish published in The Age)
Serves 1

1tbsp almonds
4 asparagus spears
3 Dutch baby carrots
100g green beans
100g sugar snap peas
1 baby bok choy
3 stalks of broccolini
½ bulb small fennel
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
80g fetta (optional)

Get a big pot of cold salted water on to the stove and bring to the boil. Toast the almonds in a small pan, watching carefully that they don’t burn.
Wash vegetables. Snap the ends of the asparagus; scrub or peel carrots and halve lengthways; tail beans; remove the ends of the sugar snap peas, taking the string with them; halve bok choy lengthwise; trim broccolini stalks; and break fennel into pieces.
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
Drop the carrots, beans and peas into the boiling water and cover with a lid for a couple of minutes. Add the asparagus and broccolini. After a couple of minutes, when the rest of the vegetables are tender, add the fennel. Blanch briefly.
Drain the vegetables and toss with the vinaigrette. Scatter with the almonds and crumble fetta, if using, over the top.